This article attempts to introduce the reader to computational thinking and solving problems involving randomness. The main technique being employed is the Monte Carlo method, using the freely available software "R for Statistical Computing." The author illustrates the computer simulation approach by focusing on several problems of…

Many popular mathematical software products including Maple, Mathematica, Derive, Mathcad, Matlab, and some of the TI calculators produce incorrect graphs because they use complex arithmetic instead of "real" arithmetic. This article expounds on this issue, provides possible remedies for instructors to share with their students, and demonstrates…

To help students understand the real-world applications of calculus, our calculus students all take part in a lab. This is not another "computer lab" but a lab where the students perform experiments and then collect and analyze the data. The students are able to verify for themselves many of physical claims that are left as theory in…

In this paper, I will discuss two related activities that I have developed for use in a college geometry course directed at pre-service secondary and elementary school teachers. These activities ask students to develop geometry on pool tables and on cones. The two activities are closely related, and both ask students to relate computer models with…

Presented are classroom-tested examples of instructional materials (courseware) for ordinary differential equations using the software package PHASER. All of the examples include in-class demonstration techniques and commentaries for instructor use, student homework and laboratory exercises, and suggestions for in-class examination questions. (JJK)